Sundered
by edenal
Summary: Darth Vader has never lived to up Sidious's expectations. However, he was once the Chosen One, destined to become the strongest figure in Force history. When Sidious clones him in the hopes of getting the apprentice he never had, what will the repercussions be as Darth Vader must fight for what little he has left?


Darth Sidious thought he had it all.

The wizened figure stood quite still by the large viewport window that overlooked the battalion that he had successfully created within a span of a few years, with the swarms of TIE fighters darting around like moths, with the colossal figures of the Star Destroyers looming in the background. His throne room, meticulously decorated with the finest of luxuries that would make even the meanest Hutt envious, only served to remind the man of his achievements. How he had singlehandedly toppled the Jedi Order and the Republic in one fell swoop, a feat that no other Lord of the Sith had ever dreamed of accomplishing! Not even the greats Revan or Bane had come anywhere close to what Darth Sidious had done for the Sith. The Emperor was undoubtedly proud of his accomplishments, and was relatively comfortable with all of his successes, with just one fault.

Anakin Skywalker.

The dark figure grimaced at the very thought of the apprentice he could have had.

His apprentice, so meticulously groomed for over a decade, had been snatched from him in the blink of an eye. Palpatine's plan, the one that he had begun to weave even before the existence of the boy! How his elation was, when Anakin Skywalker had prostrated himself before the Dark Lord of the Sith! How he had finally set into motion his grand plan to topple the Jedi, and the Republic! And as the newly christened Darth Vader was sent off to deal with the Separatists on Mustafar, Palpatine had truly let down his guard for the first time in decades. After all, he who had wrought the destruction of the Jedi Order, established his own empire on the ruins of the Republic and converted the greatest hero in the galaxy to his side had more than enough reasons to consider himself invincible.

But he was wrong.

The boy was undoubtedly powerful, that was clearly established. Born with the highest midi-chlorian count in galactic history and a prodigy the likes of which had never before been seen in the Jedi Order, Anakin Skywalker was sure to help Palpatine usher in the greatest age of the Sith the galaxy had ever known. But, much to Palpatine's chagrin, he had overlooked the arrogance of the boy. While Anakin Skywalker was surely amongst the most powerful men in the galaxy at the time of his descent into the Dark Side, he could still be outmatched by those who had the one thing Skywalker lacked: experience. And that was the cause of Skywalker's loss against Obi-Wan Kenobi, one of the few Jedi whom Palpatine both respected and feared, for both his staunch commitment to the Light Side of the Force as well as his undeniable talents, whether it be in the Force or in lightsaber dueling.

What Palpatine saw at that moment was not Obi-Wan Kenobi's superior mastery of dueling, or his grasp of the Force, but his exploitation of one of the greatest strengths of the Dark Side - anger. Darth Vader had given too much sway into his anger, beyond fueling his powers to the point where it actively worked him into a reckless rage. Anakin Skywalker had, in that moment, been snatched away from Palpatine. He had lived – an absurd feat worthy of commemoration itself – but he had been changed. He was now encased within a suit of black armour, one that had served as his face for billions of people across the galaxy. The Hero With No Fear, the Dark Lord of the Sith, the Chosen One - reduced to the mere being more machine than man.

Before his encasing into the black suit of armour, Anakin Skywalker had followed Palpatine willingly, albeit slightly hesitantly. He had given up everything he had in the deluded belief that his wife could be saved, but still held the slightest glimmers of the Light Side with him, the traces which held his feelings for Padmé. But that did not matter, for he had traversed down the road of the Dark Side of the Force, a path that could not be backtracked. After his mutilation and subsequent rebirth, however, Skywalker had become a new man, one that had only served Palpatine (or so the Emperor had deduced) out of desperation. Skywalker's world had come crashing down around him, something that Palpatine would have gladly used to spur on the boy's anger and fear, but it seemed to also invoke another effect on the former Jedi – an unshakable depression that severely limited his powers. And Palpatine had spent so much effort trying to regain that power that was once at his command, but it never seemed to work. Darth Vader, it seemed, would simply remain regretful about his decisions for the rest of his life.

Palpatine had never felt more disgust in his life.

The ungrateful man that he had introduced to the Dark Side of the Force, the successor of the mantle of the Sith, he had rejected it all in favor of a his own deluded depression, one that restricted him from accessing his full potential. And the young whelp had the audacity to train his own secret apprentice behind Palpatine's back! In the hopes of killing the man who had destroyed his life, Vader had raised the man who would be known as Galen Marek to be his own apprentice, who would assist Vader in overthrowing and killing the Emperor. But in the midst of killing Galen Marek and reprimanding Vader for his failed coup, Darth Sidious had decided, regardless of his previous efforts of acquiring Skywalker, to rid himself of the embarrassing liability of an apprentice that had haunted him for so many years. But the problem that plagued Sidious – whether there was anyone powerful enough to replace the once-promising figure Anakin Skywalker had represented – remained despite his multiple attempts such a hope. Palpatine had spent months searching for potentials that he could train as his next apprentice, but to his dismay he found that none of them had the power that Anakin Skywalker once had.

Galen Marek had been the most powerful potential replacement for Anakin Skywalker that Palpatine had ever come across. But that did not mean he was Skywalker's equal, or that he would ever be; indeed, Palpatine was sure that with his full potential being reached, Anakin Skywalker would have been the most powerful figure in the history of the galaxy, the strongest man amongst trillions and trillions of others. Galen Marek would have been nothing more than a flea in face of Skywalker's full power – but that was nothing more than fanciful imagination at this point. The situation only seemed to darken, with no slightest possibility of any figure being able to replace what Palpatine had lost.

Darth Vader had once been the most promising chance of legacy. Once upon a time. And, as Palpatine's dark yellow eyes rested on the enormous command center of the _Executor, _his thoughts began to turn in a new direction, exploring new possibilities. _I have pushed the boundaries of what exist further than they have ever been tested,_ he mused. _What is to say that I cannot do what Master did, and create a new heir?_

However compelling this thought was, Palpatine sorely dismissed it. While he did have the power at his disposal to create new life, he did not have the knowledge at his side, and Palpatine knew that to rediscover what his master had done decades ago would be a painstaking task. _I would have to devote my whole life to discovering that blasted secret, _he reasoned, _with no guaranteed chance of success. _Sidious had killed his master in his sleep before he had learned the secret of creating new life, a hasty act that seemed ill-advised in hindsight.

Pacing now, at the base of his towering vantage point, the Emperor weighed the chances of successfully replicating his master's feat, and assured himself it was out of the question. However, Palpatine realized that he was on the right track, and that _creating _a new apprentice was the most likely way of success. Slowly, his pacing came to a stop. He was completely enthralled now, feeling a rush of the familiar sensation that accompanied the triumph of victory. He was to crate a new successor; he did not have to rely on training now. But how? Palpatine had complete control over much of the galaxy at this point, and he could use whatever resources he desired in the process. Inspiration struck him in that moment: now he did not have to find a new apprentice to match what he had lost, but to create a clone of Anakin Skywalker, one that would fulfill everything his template had failed at, and one that would serve as Palpatine's legacy and his heir.

His wrinkly visage coming to a deformed grin under his black hood, Emperor Palpatine finally sat back down on his immaculately polished throne. He was to create a new clone of Anakin Skywalker, of Darth Vader. From what he had learned in the past, cloning had come to a point where nearly everything could be replicated if flawlessly pulled off; his knowledge of Darth Vader's poorly hidden clone apprentice, Starkiller, reassured him of the possibilities. And now his thoughts began to run rampant, assuring even more of the right path. The famed bounty hunter Boba Fett had been a clone of Jango Fett, yes? And he had obviously lived up to his predecessor's legacy, even surpassed it. He let out a mirthless laugh.

Darth Sidious had decided on his new apprentice.


End file.
